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May 31, 2011

After my disastrous first attempt at knitting, I was determined to give it another try before labeling myself a complete failure. This is partly because I am extremely stubborn and partly because I've already decided to give everyone person I know a scarf for Christmas (family and friends who just read that, please ignore or act surprised)

Now in order to keep up with my production schedule I needed to pick up the pace so on Saturday I met up with two lovely ladies (thanks girls!) for our first stitch 'n' bitch session. It was great, we got to gossip, vent and eat all while I slowly learned how to knit - again. The key I found was using large needles and chunky yarn (read: less work, more forgiving) and off I went. Now I do admit the process has been slow and although I've ripped apart rows in frustration, my confidence has been restored and I am determined to complete at least one scarf before Christmas...guess everyone will just have to share!

May 30, 2011

After being cooped up in the house last week I was ready to get out and enjoy the weekend. I spent Sunday with my friend Alexia and our first stop was the Matildas' Markets in Lane Cove where we met Corrie from Retromummy and walked away with some beautiful fabric (just what I need more fabric!) that I couldn't resist. I bought enough material to make a small quilt which is apparently my next project (after the dress, bibs and knitting projects I already have in the works...yikes).

Next we headed into Surry Hills for a bite to eat before meeting up with Mel, the talented lady behind Dirty Pretty Things, who happened to be hosting a little lingerie jumbo sale. If you like nice knickers or want to treat yourself, Mel's online shop will soon be open and her stuff is pretty fancy if I do say so myself. Before heading home we took one last detour to Orson & Blake where I made a mental checklist of the many things I want for the house I conveniently don't have. I'm a really great window shopper and luckily the credit card stayed inside the wallet. I rounded out the weekend by crashing on the couch and attempted to pick up the knitting needles and make some progress on my scarf, more on that tomorrow...

May 28, 2011

I decided to head back to our old neighborhood this morning and visit the Kirribilli markets. When we lived in Neutral Bay this was one of our favourite things to do on the weekend so it was nice to pay a visit to my favourite flower shop, Le Vie En Rose, and check out the market stalls. I drooled over the apartments with their terraces and dreamed of someday owning one and in the end managed to pick up two cameras for a whopping total of $4.

Afterwards I headed to the Murobond Makers Market where I met up with the lovely Monique from Elkhorn and we had a great time checking out all the amazing products on display. Jason Grant, Kirsten Strecker and Jo Neville (among others) showed off their ranges and I had to refrain from busting out the credit card on numerous occasions. I did however walk away with a beautiful green glass vase that will find a home in our next apartment (whenever that may happen!) All around it was a great morning -busy -but good to get out of Manly for a little while and check out some new sights.

May 27, 2011

My adventure as a wannabe seamstress continued this week and I must say a bit of progress was made. Slowly but surely the dress is taking shape. Next week I tackle the sewing machine...brace yourselves.

May 26, 2011

Despite spending most of this week in a medicine induced stupor, I still managed to be surprisingly productive. After consuming a few too many cold & flu tablets and watching the entire series of "Real Housewives of NYC", I was ready to move away from the couch in small intervals. Something about the rainy, cold weather has made me dive back into sewing and now that I've discovered this no knead bread recipe I'm baking loaves left and right - which means my shape is slowly morphing into that of a loaf but it's winter so who cares! (and yes, Cia that is your amazing apron which is currently covered in flour). Well it's time for my next dose of cold meds so I'll leave you with these pics from my week and head towards the couch...I think another episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" is on!

May 24, 2011

I'm home sick today and my current surroundings are a far cry from the domestic bliss I posted about this weekend. I am (happily) disheveled, the laundry has piled around me (again) and the dishes sit forgotten in the sink. Sometimes when I blog and when I read other blogs, it is such a focus on the positive that it seems that everyone is just skipping around merrily, baking pies, lounging in hammocks, riding bikes through tree lined streets all while throwing their heads back and laughing, without a care in the world.

Real life isn't nearly as glamorous so I suppose that is why we (myself included) tend to focus on the more positive aspects of our daily grind instead of giving you a laundry list (no pun intended) of what has gone wrong or hasn't work out. In keeping with focusing on the positive I came across this manifesto from the Women in Business website. It spoke to me in volumes, a perfect reminder for this time in my life, when collecting experiences, following your passion and trusting your instinct are far more important than the pile of laundry sitting next to me...

If you love books, food and discovering new places in Sydney then I highly recommend checking out Books & Nooks. I stumbled upon their website just in time to sign up for the My Heart Wanders event, which took place at Velluto, last weekend. It was a great afternoon, complete with champagne, amazing food, a few magazines to take home and the chance to hear Pia herself talk about the book and her inspiration behind writing it. It was so nice to get out of the house, go someplace different and despite my initial fear of attending solo, meet some extremely friendly and interesting people - all who share a love of reading (and champagne!) They've got some really great authors lined up over the next few months so make sure to check it out.

May 23, 2011

I have no idea what got into me on Sunday. Perhaps it was the trip to Spotlight on Saturday where I picked up some fabric and other crafty bits that made me feel a bit like Martha Stewart or maybe it was the Nigella and Jamie Oliver shows I was watching later that night. Who knows? What ever it was, I woke up early on Sunday, put on an apron (just to look the part) and began cooking up a storm.

I made minestrone soup, toasted muesli, beef and Guinness stewandbaked homemade bread - who is this person? In between I even managed to clean the house and finish the laundry - just like your typical 50's housewife. Of course I never did get a chance to sit down and relax because by the time it was all finished I was ready to collapse on the couch - which I did, with absolutely no guilt.

May 22, 2011

We wrapped up the week by checking out the Finders Keepers markets at CarraigeWorks. I enjoyed some vino while we checked out all the stalls and walked away with the Frankie book, 'Spaces' that I've been meaning to get for awhile.

We were tempted to head out for dinner in the city after but on further thought decided to go home, put on pj's, pile blankets on the couch and watch movies instead. A much better plan if you ask me...

May 19, 2011

So as you all learned in my last post, my career as a professional knitter has come to a screeching halt. I'm not giving up and will enlist the help of two lovely ladies who I hope will patiently guide me through the process again (and again). Luckily for me I have about a million other projects at the moment so I'm easily distracted. One of these distractions is a dressmaking class where yet again my impatience always shines through (seems don't line up? who cares!). Despite all of this, I am in love with my class. I can't read patterns or grasp how to use my machine for the life of me but it doesn't matter. Each week I come home bursting with ideas and energy that will hopefully, in a few weeks time, transform itself into a wearable garment - a dress (or frock) to be exact. Now isn't that fancy? I've decided each week to post my progress, mostly as a way to hold myself accountable, but also to document the process...

Hi, I'm Jaclyn and welcome to Little Paper Trees, a Sydney-based blog about nothing and everything in between. Created to replace the journal I never got around to starting, this blog documents my daily musings, design love, photography attempts, embarrassing moments and general expat adventures as an American living down under. It's been quite the ride, I'm so glad you stopped by.